SPEECH BY DR LAM PIN MIN MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH AT THE LAUNCH OF THE HUMANITY IN MEDICINE EXHIBITION, 12 AUGUST 2015

Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Governing Board,

NTU Board of Trustees and LKCMedicine Governing Board members,

Professor James Best, Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine,

Members of the Singapore medical fraternity,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

1.            I am pleased to be here today to launch the exhibition, Humanity in Medicine jointly organised by NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and NTU Museum.

2.            When Sir William Osler, regarded as one of the Fathers of Modern Medicine, left the University of Pennsylvania in 1885 to join what was then the new John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, he gave a farewell address entitled Aequanimitas, on the equanimity necessary for physicians. He reminded his audience that: “The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head. The practice of medicine is indeed an art, based on science.”

3.            It is the calling and heart of medicine which we are celebrating today with this exhibition. It showcases Singapore’s – and Singaporeans’ – efforts in showing empathy, compassion, and sympathy for the well-being of not just our fellow Singaporeans, but also the citizens of our neighbouring countries as well.

4.            The beginning of medical humanitarianism in Singapore can be traced back to the efforts of some of our pioneering Singaporeans in the mid-19^th and early 20^th centuries. Although they were not medically trained, they recognised the need to establish institutions that provided healthcare for the sick and needy who otherwise had little or no access to medical care. Today, some of these institutions continue to endure and have become cornerstones of medical care in Singapore, such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Founded in 1844 when Chinese businessman Tan Tock Seng bore the cost of constructing a proper building for what was then a paupers’ hospital, it has grown to become one of Singapore’s major hospitals. It also has a reputation as one of Singapore’s top teaching hospitals, where many of our doctors received their early training.

5.            Singapore and Singaporeans have also come together in times of crisis, to render medical assistance, both locally and overseas. For example, in 1970, the SAF Medical Corps went on its first overseas humanitarian relief mission to then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, when Cyclone Ghola hit, with its eventual estimated death toll of 300,000.

6.            Today, SAF Medical Corps continues to go to the aid of our neighbours in the region on many occasions, rendering crucial medical assistance in the aftermath of natural disasters such as the Asian Tsunami in 2004, and the Nias Island earthquake in North Sumatra in 2005, just to name a few.

7.            As our nation has grown, so has our civilian medical humanitarianism movement. Individuals have come together to form groups – both formal and informal – to assist when they see a need.

8.            Professor Dale Fisher and Ms Sharon Salmon from the National University Hospital are such examples. They were in West Africa during the Ebola outbreak last year. Professor Fisher, an expert in infectious diseases, helped Liberia to set up proper care facilities for Ebola patients, besides assisting in the reopening of hospitals and healthcare facilities. Ms Salmon, an expert in infection prevention and control, developed a training programme for villagers to understand the risks of Ebola and shared with them how to care for their loved ones who may be infected.

9.             Some of you may also remember Ms Wong Li Wai, a former nurse from the Institute of Mental Health, who spent five weeks in November and December last year during the heght of the Ebola outbreak in an Ebola management centre in Sierra Leone tending to patients affected by Ebola. 

10.            When the Air Asia Flight QZ8501 crash occurred last year, Singapore deployed Caring Actions in Response officers – CARE officers in short – to provide support to the affected next-of-kin. We also sent two forensic experts from the Health Sciences Authority as part of the Singapore Police Force’s Disaster Victim Identification teams to assist with the search.

11.         More recently, after the Nepal Earthquake in April this year, Singapore sent a forensic expert and a medical team as part of SAF’s medical contingent to aid in the rescue. When the Sabah earthquake hit just last month, CARE officers were deployed to Kota Kinabalu to provide support and assist the families of those affected. Locally, they worked with school counsellors and teachers to provide support to families.

12.         Our fellow Singaporeans have also been actively volunteering in medical relief missions under the auspices of international organisations such as, to name a few, the Red Cross, Asian Medical Foundation and Medecins Sans Frontieres.

13.         As we can see, whenever a disaster strikes in the region, compassion, empathy and sympathy are certainly not lacking in Singaporeans. I am hopeful that in the future, we will continue to step up and go beyond the call of duty to help others in need here at home and overseas.

14.         It is encouraging to see how the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine has incorporated modules into their curriculum in an attempt to inculcate in their students a sense of compassion and humanity in the practice of medicine. There is a focus on the patient-centred approach and encouragement of student doctors to view the patient as a person not just with medical problems, but also with a social and economic context, so that they can offer the patient holistic care. Students also are members of Student Houses which offer support from other students and House Tutors. The mentorship and support provided inspires student doctors to become doctors who provide care that they would like and appreciate for themselves.

15.         I am heartened to learn that the students have already displayed evidence of the ‘human’ perspective that the School desires to give to their students. Students at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine are already actively volunteering both in Singapore and overseas, taking time out to help those in need. Their activities range from volunteering to befriending and feeding residents at Dover Park Hospice, to involvement in overseas missions to Batam to help conduct health screenings, and to Cambodia to assist in trauma training. These students – the future doctors of Singapore– are already demonstrating the qualities vital for practicing medicine in the manner that Sir William Osler spoke of in Aequanimitas.

16.         I hope the students at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine will make use of their valuable skills and training as doctors to cure and bring comfort, ensuring that humanity continues to be an essential component of the practice of medicine by our doctors.

17.         It is now with great pleasure that I declare the exhibition open. I look forward to touring the exhibition and wish you an enjoyable and engaging time here today.

18.         Thank you.